MtoM Consulting, one of the Showcase Sponsors of M2Moms® 2013, has shared this cool infographic on Moms and how they use social media. Christine Wilson of MtoM Consulting and Holly Hamann of TapInfluence will be speaking about Moms, social media and influencer marketing on Thursday, October 24 at the M2Moms® Conference. And our pre-conference workshops on Tuesday, October 22 offer a chance to drill down on the topic of Moms and social media. Check out the full schedule: 44 speakers, 2 1/2 days of brand building and marketing-to-moms know-how. You won’t want to miss it – Register now!

“Moms are 82% more likely to buy from a brand that they have connected with on social media,” according to Sharon Vinderine, Founder and CEO of Parent Tested Parent Approved – Media Seal of Approval. “My pre-con workshop will show the brand marketing execs at M2Moms® how their brand can engage moms and the best platforms to find them on. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram all offer unique social media platforms where a brand can position itself as an expert and create an authentic voice that moms can relate to.” The 9th annual M2Moms® – Marketing to Moms Conference, will be held Oct. 23 & 24 in the Chicago Cultural Center. Pre-conference workshops and receptions will be held Tuesday, Oct. 22 at the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago.

“To remain ahead in today’s fast-paced social media world every brand needs to be in the social media game – and not just present but relevant,” Vinderine explained. “Moms want brand suggestions, ideas, expertise and they want to connect with brands, large or small on a personal level. In my workshop I’ll show brands how to create a relevant and engaging social media presence. They’ll learn where to start, what works and what doesn’t. They’ll see how to measure the results of their programs and create a social media strategy that will work for their brand.”

“The fact is, moms are looking to connect not only with their peers but also with brands they trust,” Vinderine added. “At PTPA we recognized early on the need for social media. In response we built a loyal community of mom influencers and dynamic social media experts to communicate the PTPA messaging to our viral community of hundreds of thousands of moms. I’ll draw heavily on that success in my M2Moms® workshop.”

“In today’s environment the right social media strategy is critical to every marketing campaign,” stated Liz Fongemie, M2Moms® producer. “PTPA’s workshop will show brands how to break through the clutter and reach today’s moms. That’s especially important when you consider that mom is the modern family’s most important decision maker in virtually every consumer industry and product category.”

“Moms really are brand-critical decision makers for a broad range of products and services,” Fongemie said. “The Fast Facts page on M2Moms® website is filled with statistics that show that moms buy everything from sports drinks to prom dresses, diapers to dog food, lipstick to laptops, autos to pharmaceuticals. They buy for their kids, their families, their parents, their friends and for themselves. They buy for their homes for their kids’ schools and they plan and pay for the family vacation. Plus, they purchase on every available channel online and off, traditional and new media – they use it all.”

“It is precisely because of moms’ broad purchasing power that M2Moms® draws attendance from a truly diverse and comprehensive list of brands,” Fongemie explained. “Companies that have sent executives and marketing teams include Microsoft, Kellogg’s, Evenflo, IKEA, Mead Johnson, GM, Allstate, Heinz, Symantec, Hasbro, BBC, NBA, Procter & Gamble, Wyeth, Coca-Cola and hundreds more. They all recognize that marketing to moms is critical to continued brand growth and market share.”

“New research, case studies, workshops, peer-to-peer learning and networking, M2Moms® really delivers everything every marketer needs to reach moms on all the different channels moms use to gather and pass along information and purchase,” according to Fongemie. “This year M2Moms® includes over 30 speakers and two and half content-rich days all designed to help marketers improve their marketing and sales to today’s’ moms.”

“We have substantially expanded the pre-conference sessions for those who arrive early,” Fongemie added. “Like PTPA’s workshop, they’ll focus on reaching moms through digital, social and mobile media. In the past all of our pre-con sessions have been standing room only. “

“In addition to the pre-con sessions, we’re especially excited about this year’s lineup which already features the premiere of GfK’s Moms Research Report, WebMD’s insight into what today’s moms are looking for in health, and a really intriguing case study from Ketchum about the power of storytelling for challenger brands. We’ll also have new research presented by Sandy Wax, President and G.M. of Sprout, and a marketing to new moms session from Eric Mower+Associates,” Fongemie said. “Plus, the editorial team from The Bump will show marketers what really works to reach today’s moms. House Party will present an especially compelling brand advocate case study with Hasbro. In addition, we’ve got a great CMO brand panel, and a truly one-of-a-kind session from Mabel’s Labels on marketing to moms of kids with special needs. And we’re very happy to welcome back Destination Maternity’s Zanny Oltman, 2012’s “You Take The Cake” Best Speaker to rock the house again!”

About PTPA Media Seal of Approval: More than just a Seal, PTPA is the endorsement and credibility that families trust. The PTPA Media Seal of Approval is a symbol of excellence in the family and consumer market. Companies who display the coveted Seal of Approval represent an exclusive group that have all undergone the rigorous testing of families. Parents and consumers know when they see the Seal of Approval that the product has been tested and approved by their peers. A truly winning combination.

Lea Culliton, President of HABA USA, the US division of the German-based toy company specializing in European-crafted children’s products, was presented the “Full Circle Award” at the 8th Annual M2Moms® – The Marketing to Moms Conference, Oct. 22-24, 2012, Chicago. “The Award, now in its fourth year, is given someone who takes what they learned at M2Moms® and applies it in their business to improve their sales and marketing results with today’s moms,” stated Nan McCann, M2Moms® producer.

“After last year’s M2Moms® Lea presented what she learned to her corporate board in Germany and with their go-ahead literally reinvented and modernized the toy maker’s entire approach to marketing to moms. Today HABA is heavily engaged with moms on almost every digital channel,” McCann explained. “It’s gotten to the point that she’s become the go-to person for social media throughout her company and even the specialty toy industry, as she sits on the American Specialty Toy Retailers Association (ASTRA) as a board member.”

“Lea is a perfect example of what M2Moms® is all about,” McCann continued. “Sometimes people come to M2Moms® and life changes. Maybe they learn something that causes them to redo a plan and make it better. Perhaps they meet someone who is exactly the expert they need for a project. Or, they have a moment of inspiration that launches something new that never existed before.”

“M2Moms® is dedicated to helping marketers improve their marketing efforts to today’s ever-evolving moms. Mom is the modern family’s most important decision maker in virtually every consumer industry and product category. It is precisely because of moms’ purchasing power that M2Moms® draws attendance from a truly diverse and comprehensive list of brands,” McCann added., “including Microsoft, Kellogg’s, Evenflo, IKEA, Mead Johnson, GM, Allstate, Heinz, Symantec, Hasbro, BBC, NBA, Procter & Gamble, Wyeth and Coca-Cola. They all recognize that marketing to moms is critical to continued brand growth and market share.”

“According to comScore, over 40% of all time online for Moms 25-54 is communicating,” Lauren Weinberg, VP of Strategic Insights and Research, Yahoo! explained. “The interesting thing about sharing content is the fact that it originates from outside the walled gardens of our social network, but has the power to promote further engagement and connection within our networked communities. And even more compelling is the rise of social interaction around content across the many unexpected places moms spend time online.”

Yahoo! research will also address other marketer questions like: Is there a framework to content sharing that impacts marketing? What’s the value of my company website versus my fan page? Which page should I be pushing consumers towards with my paid traffic? What are some new and fresh examples of social + content that have positive marketer impact?

“Yahoo! is one of the original online enterprise providers and the generator of reams of online knowledge and I’m sure all the mom marketers in the audience will be fascinated to learn about Yahoo!’s moms online insights,” added Liz Fongemie, M2Moms® Director.

“Smart brands attend,” Fongemie added, “because they know that keeping up with today’s moms is critical to building and maintaining market share in virtually every industry and product category. In addition to the speed-of-light changes in moms’ technology, moms’ needs change as their kids grow and their families mature. So, marketing to moms is a continual and evolving process.”

Diane Ridgway-Cross will debut fresh thinking regarding the latest trends behind moms and social media, based on Frank About Women’s exploration of real moms’ social media habits. She’ll discuss surprising new insights about how, where, when and why moms choose to engage with brands on social media. Attendees will be buzzing about:

What moms really expect from brands on social media

The types of content they’re most likely to see and share

New ways to use social media to not only strengthen relationships with current customers, but also to acquire new customers

Diane will also share a client case study from Kumon Learning Center, discussing the exciting journey of how Frank About Women helped redefine Kumon’s target, reinvent their social media program and reimagine success metrics beyond what anyone thought possible. This major transition shifted millions of dollars from traditional touchpoints to an insight-driven, mom-centric, 100% digital and social strategy.

“I’m sure all the mom marketers in the audience at the 7th Annual M2Moms® – The Marketing to Moms Conference, October 19 & 20, 2011, Chicago Cultural Center, will be riveted by this comprehensive drill-down. They’ll be especially interested to see how it all came together in the Kumon case study,” added Liz Fongemie, M2Moms® Director.

“Smart brands attend,” Fongemie added, “because they know that keeping up with today’s moms is critical to building and maintaining market share in virtually every industry and product category. In addition to the speed-of-light changes in moms’ technology, moms’ needs change as their kids grow and their families mature. So, marketing to moms is a continual and evolving process.”

Groupon Goes Into Supermarkets Via Loyalty Cards – Groupon is joining two Boston marketing-services and analytics firms to get deeper into the traditional grocery coupon business with a test today by Springfield, Mass.-based Big Y in a program expected to be joined by other supermarket chains and ultimately packaged-goods brands (AdAge, 6/7/11).

TheBump.com Innovator Carley Roney To Keynote Day 2 Of 7th Annual M2Moms – Carley Roney, cofounder of The Knot Inc. and editor in chief of TheBump.com, a leading website for expectant and first-time parents, will keynote the second day of the seventh annual M2Moms— The Marketing to Moms Conference on October 19 and 20, 2011, at the Chicago Cultural Center (6/7/11).

P&G Tries Facebook Commerce Again With New Platform, Talks to Walmart About Joining – Procter & Gamble Co. is taking another plunge into Facebook commerce with a new platform and an effort to bring new retailers on board after scrapping an earlier effort using Amazon as a fulfillment partner. P&G quietly has added "shop" or "shop now" buttons to Facebook fan pages of several brands in recent weeks, including Tide, Gillette, Olay, Gain, CoverGirl, Luvs and Febreze, with several more expected to come on line in the weeks ahead (AdAge, 6/9/11).

Modern Mom More Than “…A Regular Woman” – According to a recent Nielsen Company study, 34% of American households are home to kids under 18, and modern moms wear many hats and play many roles. These moms are 19% more likely than the general population to engage in social networking, and even more likely to become a fan or follow a brand (31% more likely), become a fan or follow a celebrity (24% more likely) and comment on others postings (27% more likely) (MediaPost Research Brief, 5/18/11).

Do Women Bloggers Want To Work With Your Brand? – Blog community provider BlogFrog surveyed female bloggers in the US to discover what kinds of partnerships with brands were more desirable and how women bloggers thought brand relationships should work. About three-quarters of those surveyed were moms; eMarketer estimates 4 million mothers in the US will write a blog at least monthly this year (eMarketer, 5/16/11).

Seafood shelf products such as canned tuna have long been kind of a conservative grocery brand vertical, with a heavy reliance on healthy claims for awareness and couponing to move items in the checkout line. But Chicken of the Sea has decided to try to break out of that shoal and hook customers with an integrated campaign that brings its iconic “mermaid’ character to a number of different platforms, from Web video spots and Facebook to Twitter, casual games and sweepstakes (Promo Magazine, 5/17/11).

The “Seal of Approval” idea has gone digital thanks to an innovative community of moms. TwitterMoms, an online community site for nearly 30,000 of the most influential moms in social media, has developed the TwitterMoms Seal of Approval, a concept that puts household products into the homes of opinionated moms who evaluate them during real-life situations following a standardized evaluation process. To be awarded the Seal of Approval, a product must meet or exceed expectations in all areas of the evaluation 85% of the time and the same percentage of evaluators must be willing to recommend the product to others. “Moms trust moms above all else,” says Megan Calhoun, Founder of TwitterMoms.com. “Traditional seal programs rely on lab technicians, sterile environments, and black boxes for their analysis. Our moms put products through their paces in their homes, and color their commentary and evaluations with their own real-life experiences — something that just can’t be replicated in a lab.” The first two products to be awarded the TwitterMoms Seal of Approval are Quickie Microfiber Twist Mop and P&G’s Ultra Concentrated Dawn dishwashing liquid. “We were excited to give this new take on the traditional seal program a try,” says Susan Baba, External Relations Manager for the Dawn brand at P&G. “We were even more excited to see how Ultra Concentrated Dawn met or exceed value and performance expectations in a blind study.”

Leveraging an online community of influential moms is a hot topic during this year’s M2Moms® and one that will be featured in several presentations including the “Winning Over the Cool Mom” Workshop which includes a panel moderated by Cindy Gordon, SVP of 360 Public Relations, and will introduce attendees to three “cool giants:” Molly O’Donnell of Xbox, Donna Mirus Bates of Universal Orlando and Jyl Johnson Founder of Mom It Forward/Girls Night Out.

The challenges of modern day parenting can often lead to an interesting opportunity for marketers. In response to the dynamic safety needs of today’s online teenagers, AOL has released a new product called Safe Social. This tool provides parents a 360- degree view of their child’s social networking life, with an easy-to-read report card of overall social networking activity and identification of potential red flags. With Safe Social, which does require up-front consent from the child, parents gain access to their teen’s friends list and what their teen posts on sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. Parents may also opt to receive real-time alerts regarding potential predator relationships and indications of at-risk behaviors, such as posted references to alcohol use or even bullying and suicide. A recent AOL survey found that roughly one-third of parents (33%) feel they are mostly on top of things, but worry they aren’t seeing everything, while another 18% feel that it is tricky and too time consumer to keep up. Additionally, 41% of parents say they know half or less than half of their children’s online friends. So, how do kids feel about such a product? The survey found that 45% of children said they would prefer this as compared to publicly being “friends” with a parent who is able to post on their page.